1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of wheelchairs and more particularly to the field of self-propelled, steerable wheelchairs that are operable by manipulation of a single arm or lever.
2. Discussion of the Background
Several self-propelled, steerable wheelchairs are commercially available which are operable by manipulating a single arm or lever; however, virtually all of them must be specially made at the factory and are considerably more expensive than conventional wheelchairs. Additionally, such arrangements either cannot or cannot easily be retrofitted onto existing wheelchairs of conventional design without considerable modifications and expense. Some attempts have been made to provide easily retrofitable designs for conventional wheelchairs but to date, none has been successful.
With this in mind, the present invention was developed. With it, the most common and popular designs of conventional wheelchairs can be easily and quickly converted to self-propelled, steerable wheelchairs at relatively low cost and with very few modifications to the wheelchair itself.